I Read Books - December edition

[bedsitter23]

Well, can’t get much opposite than these two, I suppose.

 

Hot Water Music by Charles Bukowski – Barnes and Noble had a sale on a lot of Bukowski’s e-books so I took advantage. Because of the name, even used bookstores ask for top dollar for his stuff. I have read a lot of his poetry collections, but I have never read much of his prose (this book is a collection of short stories and is a well-known work of his)or long form novels, so this was a first for me.

HWM is what you expect from Bukowski, but the stories are generally taken to a ridiculous extreme. I don’t have a problem with that, and in the context of quick stories, think it works well, but if you have a hard time with Bukowski to begin with, this is unlikely to help.   As a fan, I enjoyed it. There were plenty of humorous (usually sexually or gross or otherwise) moments. Otherwise, it was a pretty light and mostly forgettable read. Still, Bukowski fans would enjoy it.

Dad is Fat  by Jim Gaffigan-  I am a big fan of Gaffigan and his new book is his take on parenting.  Everybody has already done this (Dave Barry and Bill Cosby come to mind, but the list is endless).  I found it very funny, and though this is well-travelled territory, I found it humorous and it felt fresh.  It is a comedian book, so it does read like a Gaffigan stand-up performance, but I don't feel like it recycled material that i had seen him deliver before.

Again, you probably know what to expect, but a quick read with a lot of laugh out loud moments and the kind of book (like many of Barry's) that I will undoubtedly pull off the shelf again and again for a quick laugh.  My favorite 'bit' was comparing kids to drunk people.  Ever notice how children's menus and bar grill menus are the same (pizza, burgers, chicken strips).  I am certain he's not the first to make the observation, but he delivers it in a way that feels original and is laugh out loud funny.